The Social Media
Spine:
Building the backbone to your
online presence
Stacy Lukasavitz
TDR Communications, LLC
http://www.thatdamnredhead.net
stacy@thatdamnredhead.net

What is Web 2.0?

What is Web 2.0?
Web 1.0 was about reading, Web 2.0 is about writing
Web 1.0 was about companies, Web 2.0 is about communities
Web 1.0 was about home pages, Web 2.0 is about blogs
Web 1.0 was about portals, Web 2.0 is about RSS
Web 1.0 was about wires, Web 2.0 is about wireless
Web 1.0 was about owning, Web 2.0 is about sharing
Web 1.0 was about Netscape, Web 2.0 is about Google
Web 1.0 was about dialup, Web 2.0 is about broadband
Via Joe Drumgoole http://joedrumgoole.com/blog/2006/05/29/web-20-vs-web-10/

What social media is not:

Advertising.

Just tools.

The be-all, end-all of
your marketing needs.

A breeding ground for child molesters.

a fad.

Something just for nerds that has no
impact on the rest of the world.

So, what IS social
media?

blah \". . . shift in how people discover, read,
\". . . the use of technology and share news and information and
combined with social content . . . a fusion of sociology and
BLAH
interaction to create or co- technology, transforming monologue
create value\" - John Jantsch (one to many) into dialog (many to
many)” - Brian Solis (author, speaker,
(Duct Tape Marketing)
blah social media pioneer)
BLAH
\". . . a category of
BLAH
practices, technology,
BLAH
blah
tools, and online sites that
blah
are based in social
relationships, participation,
\". . . a broad collection of communication tools and
and user-generated
practices - largely online - that foster the individual
content\" - Liz Strauss
creation and sharing of content, and encourage the
(Founder of SOBCon &
dialogue around that content at a human level . . . it's
originator of Successful &
not all encompassing . . . social media is very much
Outstanding Blog
defined by each person who engages in it, and that
program)
definition will be different if you’re a business or an
blah individual.\" - Amber Naslund (Altitude Branding
founder & community manager at Radian6)
BLAH blah

YES.

“It’s people having
conversations online.”

These conversations run on:
. . . and more!

Shared Characteristics of Social Media:
• delivered in a human voice, instead of a corporate or
“messaged” one
• invites feedback, dialogue, and discussion, whether positive
or critical
• asks creators to be abundantly forthright about who they are
and whose viewpoint they represent (if not their own)
• participatory and interactive
• main goal is to build relationships and contribute to a larger
whole, not push messages or an agenda
Per Amber Naslund http://altitudebranding.com/2009/02/your-social-media-questions/

57%
of
internet
users
are now
on a
social
network
(these are a couple)
Source: Universal McCann Power to the People
Social Media Tracker Wave.3, March 2008

78%
read blogs
(up from 66% in 2007)
Source: Universal McCann Power to the People Social Media Tracker Wave.3, March 2008

>133,000,000
blogs
indexed since 2002
blog search engine
Source: Universal McCann Power to the People Social Media Tracker Wave.3, March 2008

>70,000,000
videos on YouTube
(as of March 2008)
Source: Universal McCann Power to the People Social Media Tracker Wave.3, March 2008

Video is the
quickest growing
platform.
2006: 31%
2008: 83%

22%
55%
social network users
have installed a widget
or application
have shared photos
31%
22%
have started a blog
have shared videos
Source: Universal McCann Power to the People Social Media Tracker Wave.3, March 2008

Why you should
care:

Social media practices are now
permeating the entire business
world, much like how the
internet did in the late ‘90s.

Social networking
sites are officially
more popular than
porn.
Reuters, “Porn passed over as web users become social” September 2008

“In 2008, if you’re not on a
social networking site, you’re
not on the Internet.”
Source: IAB Platform Status Report: User
generated content, social media, and
advertising – an overview, April 2008

Your audience is online
and they’re talking about
you/your brand/
company/organization.

Ignoring them is the worst
thing you can do.

78%
trust recommendations
by others
vs.
14%
trust advertisements
Source: Universal McCann Power to the People Social Media Tracker Wave.3, March 2008

Without an online
presence, you can only
react, not respond
appropriately.

This can get a little
overwhelming.
Let’s simplify things a bit.

Communication Collaboration
Multimedia Entertainment

Differs from Traditional Media?
…depends on interactions
between people as the
discussion and integration of
words building shared
meaning.
…it’s not finite…
technology
is
the
conduit
Source: Wikipedia

From a business perspective…
Traditional Media Social Media
Customer Collaborator
Talk to Talk with
VS
Selling Sharing
Voice = Company Voice = Citizen
Professionally generated User generated content
One-sided Multiple opinions

The Bare Bones:
What you need to know
&
where you need to go

Googleability
(noun) the ease with which
information about a person can be
found on an Internet search
engine, particularly Google

“If you’re not on the first
page of Google, you
don’t exist.”
- New Media adage

Go to the following URL and make your Google profile:
http://google.com/s2/profiles/me

Commonly used social media tools:
Source: Michael A. Stelzner, Social Media Marketing Industry Report, March 2009 http://www.whitepapersource.com/socialmediamarketing/

Why MySpace is not taken seriously.

You’ll really be considered a “professional,”
won’t you?

Microblogging?
• brief updates, 140
characters or less
(“tweets”)
• published online,
publicly or privately
• submitted via web, IM,
text messaging, third-
party application

Not ...
What are you doing?
... but ...
What has your attention?

Why would anybody do this?
• increase social, professional
networks
• find jobs, employees
• customer service
• news updates
• promote projects, interesting
articles, others
• event coordination
• possibilities are ENDLESS

Personal,
conversational
Headlines, news

Customer Service

True story
I know this guy in
real life -- through
Twitter.

First major news story displaying
impact of Twitter:
April 25, 2008

The Power of the ReTweet:
• communicates ideas,
news quickly to mass
amounts of people
• viral in nature
• usually generates
followers from one
person’s network to
another

tweetup
n. A real world meeting
between two or more people who
know each other through the
online Twitter service.
etymology: twitter + meetup =
tweetup

Tweet to your public timeline

reply using @

use “d” to directly/privately
message somebody

Many tools to make it easier
TweetDeck
Twhirl

LOTS-o-services to use:
. . .these are just a few.

(Don’t worry, I gave you
a cheat sheet.)

The 5 Stages of Acceptance
1. Denial
“I think Twitter sounds stupid. Why would anybody care about what other people are doing right now?”
2. Presence
“OK, I don’t really get why people love it, but I guess I should at least create an account.”
3. Dumping
“I’m on Twitter and I use it for pasting links to my blog posts and pointing people to my press releases.”
4. Conversing
“I don’t always post useful stuff, but I do ues Twitter to have authentic 1x1 conversations.”
5. Microblogging
“I’m using Twitter to publish useful information that people read AND converse 1x1 authentically.”
Originally published on Influential Marketing Blog (http://rohitbhargava.typepad.com)

Brief History:
• founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, was
then just for Harvard students
• quickly was released to all college students
• 2005 opened to high school students, then
networks of large employers (Microsoft, Apple,
etc.)
• 2006 opened to everyone 13+

• > 175 million active users (world’s largest social
networking site)
• More than half of Facebook users are outside of
college
• The fastest growing demographic is those 35 years
old and older
• More than 35 translations available on the site, with
more than 60 in development
• About 70% of Facebook users are outside the
United States

A few features:
• connect with family, friends, coworkers
• join networks of geography, workplaces, schools
• can create groups and “fan pages”
• “Friends Lists” privacy settings let you control who
sees what in your profile
• easily create and promote events, keep track of
RSVPs
• very compatible with mobile

Big Brands

Small Businesses

Chambers of Commerce

Please note:
• Personal profiles are for people, not
businesses or brands.
• Facebook is not MySpace.
• Once you have a personal account, you
may set up a “fan page” for your
business/brand/whatever you like.
• Facebook will suspend business and/or
“fake” accounts upon discovery

Sample Event

Go to live Facebook demo?

• world’s largest professional network (>37 million)
• business-oriented social networking site
• build credibility by getting recommendations from others,
answering questions in the “Answers” section
• able to see your contacts’ contacts and can help facilitate
introductions
• employers can list job openings & vet potential applicants
• can join discussion groups of professional interest

Go to live LinkedIn demo?

“Facebook reconnects
you to your past,
LinkedIn connects you
to your present,
Twitter connects you
to your future.”
- New Media adage

blog (contraction of weblog)
1. (noun) a website, usually maintained by an
individual or business with regular entries of
commentary, descriptions of events, or other
material such as graphics or video. Entries are
commonly displayed in reverse-chronological
order.
2. (verb) can also be used as a verb, meaning
to maintain or add content to a blog.

Why blog?
• showcase your knowledge on a particular
subject
• build credibility in your field
• build relationships off trust
• have a dialogue with others on things you
are passionate about
• practice your writing skills
• therapeutic & cheap

• most common blog is personal, diary-form
• blogs for marketing/branding/PR purposes
in a company are corporate blogs
• many focus on certain topic, such as
cooking, travel, politics, fashion, music,
etc.
• best blogging services: WordPress,
Typepad (paid), Blogger

Professional/Niche Blog

Personal Blog

RSS
Really Simple Syndication
or
Rich Site Summary
• a format for delivering regularly changing web content
• Saves time by retrieving all the latest content from sites you normally go
to and delivering them all in one place
• Subscribe to RSS feeds by the clicking universal orange RSS button
(usually in top right corner)
• Content (your “feeds”) is read in a Feed Reader
• Popular Feed Readers: Google Reader, NetVibes, Yahoo Pipes,
Bloglines

Before you start blogging:
• Set up a Google Reader account and subscribe to a handful
of feeds
• Read often and leave thoughtful, constructive comments,
avoid being That Guy who says “Hey, check out my
blog!” (Nobody likes That Guy.)
• Be patient -- blogging is karmic -- if you read others/
participate elsewhere, readers will come to you
• Before writing a post, ask yourself “will this be useful,
resourceful, and/or interesting to others?”
• REMEMBER: blogging is NOT one-way -- it is a
conversation between you and your readers
• Be sure you can make the commitment to post regularly --
nobody likes an orphaned blog

You’re probably wondering . . .
This is a very ballpark range. Everything
depends on strategy and effort.
Chart courtesy of Beth Kanter http://beth.typepad.com

But . . . just to give you an idea.
Chart courtesy of Beth Kanter http://beth.typepad.com

Time commitment for social media marketing
Direct correlation between time
spent per week and marketers’*
experience with social media
Beginners: avg. 2 hrs/wk
Few months: avg. 10 hrs/wk
Few years: avg. 20 hrs/wk
*Keep in mind this is for social media marketing, not just run-of-the-mill social media (there’s a difference, but that’s a
different seminar), but it gives you an idea, depending on who you are and what your goals are.
Source: Michael A. Stelzner, Social Media Marketing Industry Report, March 2009 http://www.whitepapersource.com/socialmediamarketing/

The benefits of social media marketing
*Keep in mind this is for social media marketing, not just run-of-the-mill social media (there’s a difference, but that’s a
different seminar), but it gives you an idea of the potential it has for you as an individual as well.
Source: Michael A. Stelzner, Social Media Marketing Industry Report, March 2009 http://www.whitepapersource.com/socialmediamarketing/

Apply the W’s
WHO are you trying to reach?
WHAT are they saying already? (listen)
WHERE are they online & WHERE should you
be?
WHEN will you make time for your social media
activities?
WHY are you doing this? (goals)
HOW will you engage?

Getting Started
create your public Google create a blog only if and
profile when you’re ready
set up Google Alerts on create LinkedIn account,
yourself, your company, ask and answer questions
your interests on a LinkedIn board
sign up for Google join Facebook (if you
Reader/iGoogle, subscribe haven’t already), create a
to a few feeds group and/or page
connect with people that feature your next event
have similar interests/are online and invite your
in the same field network
write a guest blog on a give Twitter a shot, don’t
topic on which you’re an give up if it you don’t “get
expert it” right away

Things to Remember:
one size does NOT fit all Link others, link often
MUST develop strategy Be patient
Tools are not tactics Be respectful
ID goals & work backwards Keep it real
Link profiles together Keep content FRESH!
Build your network before It’s not a numbers game -
you need it quality relationships over
quantity
Don’t broadcast
You don’t have to be
everywhere, just where it
Listen first, then talk
matters to you/your goals

There is no such thing
as a “social media
expert.”
Period.

by Stacy Lukasavitz
TDR Communications, LLC
http://www.thatdamnredhead.net
stacy@thatdamnredhead.net
Twitter: @damnredhead
810-599-4813

Credits
Spine illustration: Discovery Education’s Clip Art Gallery http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/clip/backbone.html
Slide 3: Web 1.0 v. Web 2.0: via Joe Drumgoole http://joedrumgoole.com/blog/2006/05/29/web-20-vs-web-10/
Slide 5: Megaphone: FelipeArte http://www.flickr.com/photos/felipearte/44808639/
Slide 6: Tools: Slambo_42 http://www.flickr.com/photos/slambo_42/2776132553/
Slide 7: Fairy Godmother figurine by Lenox http://www.mistletoenholly.com/lx6130777.html
Slide 10: D&D pic: Wil Wheaton http://www.flickr.com/photos/wilwheaton/3347417816/
Slide 12: John Jantsch http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/; Brian Solis: http://www.briansolis.com; Liz Strauss: http://www.successful-blog.com/;
Amber Naslund: http://www.altitudebranding.com
Slide 14 & 21: LOLcats: http://www.icanhascheezburger.com
Slide 15: Word Cloud: http://www.wordle.net
Slide 16: Per Amber Naslund http://altitudebranding.com/2009/02/your-social-media-questions/
Slide 17: Collage: Ludwig Gatzke http://www.flickr.com/hotos/stabilo-boss/
Slide 17-22: Stats Source: Universal McCann Power to the People Social Media Tracker Wave.3, March 2008
Slide 18: Woman Surfing web: tuexperto_com5 http://www.flickr.com/photos/26158685@N04/2798850223/
Slide 24: Pushpins: Erica_Marshall http://www.flickr.com/photos/erica_marshall/2671869408/
Slide 29: Boxing Gloves: KayVee.INC http://www.flickr.com/photos/kayveeinc/2540019625/
Slide 31: Social Media Landscape http://FredCavazza.net
Slide 32: Web 2.0 Landscape via Future Exploration Network http://www.futureexploration.net
Slide 35 & 36 variation of slides by Caroline Cummings http://www.slideshare.net/carolinec/social-media-overview-1197231
Slides 40 & 41: David Meerman Scott http://www.webinknow.com
Slide 42: http://google.com/s2/profiles/me
Slide 43, 91, 92: Source: Michael A. Stelzner, Social Media Marketing Industry Report, March 2009 http://www.whitepapersource.com/
socialmediamarketing/
Slide 48: Twitter http://www.twitter.com
Slide 50 & 51: photos via Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com
Slide 52: Shauna Nicholson @ShaunaN, MLive.com @MLive
Slide 53: Jet Blue Airlines @JetBlue, Frank Eliason @ComcastCares
Slide 54: David Meerman Scott http://www.webinknow.com; David Murray @DaveMurr
Slide 55: \"Student 'Twitters' his way out of jail\" http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/04/25/twitter.buck/index.html
Slide 56: Originally appeared in “How Twitter Changed My Life” by MinXuan Lee (@audreytan)
Slide 58: Photo of myself (@damnredhead) & Scott Monty (@scottmonty) taken by Daniel Eizans (@danieleizans, http://www.danieleizans.com)
at Novi Tweetup, January 19, 2009
Slide 62: TweetDeck http://www.tweetdeck.com; Twhirl http://www.twhirl.org
Slide 63: 3rd Party Twitter Apps collage by futileboy http://www.flickr.com/photos/futileboy/3026065024/
Slide 65: \"The 5 Stages of Twitter Acceptance\" Originally published on Influential Marketing Blog (http://rohitbhargava.typepad.com)
Slide 69: Fortune “How Facebook is taking over…” http://budurl.com/FortuneFB
Slide 82: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog
Slide 85: Eric Colburn http://ericcolburn.com/
Slide 86: Tom Whickham http://tomwickham.blogspot.com/
Slide 89 & 90: charts courtesy of Beth Kanter http://beth.typepad.com
with special thanks to Mary Ann Chick Whiteside
http://www.mcwflint.com